TWO of Southport’s Methodist churches are preparing to join together to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Charles Wesley.

The Reverend Alex Galbraith of St Francis of Assisi, Kew will preach at the Lord Street West United Church celebration service on Sunday, November 18, at 6pm.

All the hymns will be well-known Wesley originals, including Ye Servants Of God and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.

Charles Wesley and brother John were the much revered founders of Methodism. John preached God’s grace on horseback, while Charles wrote hymns to express faith within words that people could remember.

The Rev Galbraith said: “John was the driving force of Methodism, but Charles was the heart of it. He wrote hymns that taught theology, but yet were very personal.

“The church in the 18th century had become weary, and it had lost its warmth. Charles was kind, gentle and human, and he brought love back into people’s faith.”

Folk musician Kathy Flynn will unveil a new composition of Christ, Whose Glory Fills The Skies, while a local folk group will present two Wesley hymns in original forms.

The Rev Peter Hughes, of Lord Street West United Church, said: “People composed original music for Wesley’s lyrics in the 18th and 19th century, so we thought it would be good to create new tunes for the 21st century.

“It’s important to remember that Wesley’s words are for the future too.”

Mrs Flynn, who will play her composition on acoustic guitar, admitted she had to clear her head before writing the tune: “It was hard at first, but I knew that the first line had to be a proclamation. I’ve never created a new tune to old words, so it’s a totally new approach for me.”

Author of over 3,000 hymns, Wesley was ahead of his day in attempting to reach out to those that the church cast off as sinners, such as criminals and prostitutes.

The Rev Hughes said: “Wesley believed in the universality of the church.

“He travelled to prisons to spread the message that church is for everyone. The Wesleys preached that God’s grace was for all people.”